Arrest made in 1974 Shrewsbury slaying

Thursday

Feb 6, 2014 at 6:00 AMFeb 6, 2014 at 1:27 PM

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

SHREWSBURY — The Worcester district attorney's office and family of slain Shrewsbury woman Eileen B. Ferro have confirmed state police have made an arrest in her 1974 killing, just a couple weeks before the 40th anniversary of her death.

Timothy J. Connolly, spokesman for District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., confirmed that police have arrested Lonzo Guthrie, 69, of Austell, Ga. According to state records there, he was convicted in California of rape by force and is a registered sex offender in Georgia.

Mr. Connolly said DNA evidence from the February 1974 killing linked Mr. Guthrie to the case. State police investigators from Mr. Early's office went to Georgia to question Mr. Guthrie on the killing. The visit resulted in his arrest.

"We went down there with the intention of questioning him about this murder from 1974," Mr. Connolly said. "That led to us arresting him in conjunction with officials down there."

Mr. Guthrie was brought to a Douglas County courthouse in Georgia, where he was arraigned on the arrest warrant, according to Mr. Connolly. Mr. Guthrie is fighting extradition, he said.

"We've been working on this case since I got into office. It was one of many," Mr. Early said. "State police detectives spoke to her sister last night (Tuesday) and her husband. The news was comforting yet overwhelming to them."

Mr. Early said more information will be released Thursday.

"They are not cold cases to us," Mr. Early said. "When I started the unit we started giving the old homicides new attention."

There have been changes in science, and DNA has come to the forefront since the 40-year-old murder. Mr. Early said solid police work also aided in the investigation. He gave credit to his Unresolved Case Unit, a name given to the unit after Molly Bish's father asked Mr. Early not to call the squad the Cold Case Unit.

Officials want Mr. Guthrie brought to Massachusetts, where he will face a murder charge. The murder complaint was filed in Westboro District Court, according to a filing in the Georgia court.

Reached at her North Brookfield home Wednesday, Mrs. Ferro's sister, Nancy M. Donnelly, said her family was elated with the news of Mr. Guthrie's arrest.

Mrs. Ferro, 21, was found dead with several stab wounds by her husband Anthony T. Ferro Jr. inside the couple's home at 30 Ladyslipper Drive on Feb. 22, 1974.

"This news was the best news," Mrs. Donnelly said. "You can't imagine living with this for 40 years. I thought I was going to my grave not knowing. Both my parents did. I am sure they are looking down smiling."

Mrs. Donnelly, 72, did not know Mr. Guthrie.

WSB-TV in Atlanta reported that Mr. Guthrie denied killing anyone while being led out of the Georgia courtroom. He was brought to the courthouse Wednesday. Mr. Guthrie is still in custody.

State police from Mr. Early's office and Douglas County Sheriff's Office officials were in the courtroom, the television station reported.

Mrs. Donnelly said state police notified her sister Tuesday about the arrest.

"It's been a long 40 years," Mrs. Donnelly said, noting Mrs. Ferro's birthday was Monday. "There's closure now. You don't think those police would have arrested him if they didn't know."

Mrs. Donnelly said the news of Mr. Guthrie's arrest has brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad. She recalled her sister's wedding and when she was first notified of her killing.

"I thought I was dreaming," Mrs. Donnelly recalled. "I certainly have questions. The only ones who can answer them are the ones working the case. They put their best foot forward. It was a cold case and they kept working at it."

One of Mrs. Ferro's sisters, Martha J. O'Neill of Sutton, was killed in 1991 when two airliners crashed at Los Angeles International Airport.

Newspaper accounts from the Worcester Sunday Telegram said Mrs. Ferro was found in a first-floor utility room when her husband returned from work around 9:15 p.m. Mrs. Ferro had been stabbed several times in the head and shoulders.

"There are no firm leads right now. This wasn't a robbery. We don't know why it occurred and really don't know where to start looking for a suspect," then-Shrewsbury Police Chief Francis A. Reynolds said at the time.

Investigators said at the time that the slaying was especially brutal. Mrs. Ferro, a dental hygienist who grew up in Worcester, moved to Shrewsbury after marrying her husband in 1972.

Mrs. Donnelly, who was interviewed by the Telegram & Gazette in 2008 about the unsolved case, talked about the pain while recalling her sister's killing.

Reports at the time of the killing said Mrs. Ferro left her job in Worcester about 5 p.m. that day. Her mother had stopped in the office for a dental cleaning.

"The killer may have been a stranger. We really haven't ruled anything in or out of the case yet," said Shrewsbury Detective Patrolman Paul McOwen six days after the murder.